Menu

Lent/Easter

Do any of you live in Canada? Ontario? the GTA? If you do, there is an event happening next weekend that you won’t want to miss! If you follow other bloggers in the US, so many of them attend Catholic conferences, and the posts about them, and pictures on twitter and Instagram always warm my heart and make me ache to attend with them. Well, there is one right here in Toronto, and it is a wonderful day!

I have attended in the past, and it is just so inspiring being in a room filled the brim with other Catholic women who love their faith as much as you do. The stories, the laughs, it is such an incredible day, and if you live close by, I would hate for you to miss it. This years’ line up of speakers is just remarkable, Dorothy Pilarski the organizer keeps drawing in better speakers each year! Check out the poster below, and I hope you consider attending with me.

For more information on the conference as well as great articles (I’ve written a few!) stop by the Dynamic Women of Faith website.

I’m sure we are all familiar with this story to some extent. The one where Henry VIII wants an heir so bad he creates a church that will allow him to divorce his wife and marry the one that gave him a son. There are loads of movies and TV shows about it, most of which do not take into account the Catholic perspective. My husband and I watched The Other Boleyn Girl a few months ago and were shocked how little the Catholic Church and Thomas More were mentioned. Considering the entire fiasco is because of Henry VIII’s view of the Church and disregard for it’s teachings, you’d think it would play a larger role.

Next up in our Lenten movie journey: A Man For All Seasons

I just love learning about the saints! Especially ones who are seemingly normal people just like you and me. Thomas More was a family man, trying to earn a living and be loyal to the King of England. He was a man of deep faith, and was held in very high regard during the time he was alive. That was until Henry VIII went against the Church, and Thomas refused to follow.

I would love to think that if I was placed in a similar situation I would stand firm with the Church like he did. But at the same time, risking being taken away from my family, and facing death? I don’t know what I would do. But I guess that is why he is the saint.

This movie is a great period piece, with wonderful costumes and scenery that draws you in to England in the 1500s. It focuses on the events leading up to More’s eventual conviction and beheading, as King Henry VIII’s advisers scramble to find a way for him to marry Anne Boleyn. As Catholic’s, they know the Pope will not grant a divorce, so the King declares himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England, and allows himself to divorce and remarry in that church. More refuses to accept this, and cleverly avoids being tried for treason for some time, by never uttering the actual words. He will neither deny nor confirm what everyone assumes to be true, and is locked in the Tower of London as punishment, until they can prove that he has committed treason. If it is possible, it is quite the comical portrayal of More, as he avoids being convicted of any crime. As a lawyer, he knows the power of perfect wording, and they have some trouble finding him guilty of anything. But in the end, once he is finally convicted of high treason, thanks false testimony, he admits that he does not acknowledge the King as the head of a Church saying “no temporal man may be the head of the spirituality”.

Upon the steps before his execution, he calmly uttered his famous final words, as he declared he was “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

A fantastic film, and must watch for all Catholics, and especially those that love shows like Downton Abbey and The Tudors, it gives you a great Catholic perspective on that time in England.

When this movie started I may have cringed a little. I’m not the biggest fan of old movies, mostly because I feel like people only like them because they think it makes them cool. But if it’s a good movie, then is really doesn’t matter when it was made, or if it is black and white! And this one was so good, so I didn’t even mind it was black and white!

Second on our Lenten movie journey: Lillies of the Field

A very young Sidney Poitier plays Homer Smith, a handy man traveling through the Arizona desert, when his car over heats. He finds a place to get some water, but doesn’t realize God has a bigger plan for him than just a quick pit stop. The farm he finds, is home to a small group of German nuns, who speak very broken English. They think he has been sent by God, and sort of trick Schmidt, as they call him, into staying and doing a few repairs, and eventually building them a chapel.
This movie is categorized as a drama, but my husband and I both agree it is much more a comedy. As you can imagine, hilarity ensues as the young free living Baptist reluctantly helps the very poor German nuns. From him teaching them English and a Southern hymn, to them teaching him that God often has greater plans for us. He arrives a very selfish young man, but learns to think of others, to trust in God, and to have faith in the community. God will provide, if it is his will to do so, and the nuns teach him that very important lesson.

It is very funny, and very heart warming!

Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Male Actor for his role in this movie! The movie is based on a book by the same name, and there is also a squeal to the film, Christmas Lillies of the Field, though Sidney Poitier doesn’t play Homer, and since he is so good in this, I’m not sure I would enjoy it as much. The chemistry between him and the nuns really makes the film.

My husband and I often joke that my favourite genre of movies are sports movies. I love a feel good underdog story, even more if it is based on a true story! The only thing that can make it better is keeping it wholesome. Which as you can imagine, is pretty rare in Hollywood!

So it made sense to start this Lenten movie journey with a basketball underdog story, The Mighty Macs.

Cathy wasn’t ready to be a housewife, and loved basketball, so she took a coaching job at Immaculata College. The school had no gym, out dated uniforms, and only one basketball. A dim future in general, the school was struggling with admissions, and the possibility of being sold. Sports were not big on the list of necessities until Cathy came along. But with team work, a lot of faith, and plenty of perseverance, they manage to come together and inspire not just the college, but the entire town. It’s a heartwarming movie, fit for the entire family. Teaching everyone to dream big, have faith, and trust your team mates.

It is based on the real story of the women’s college basketball team at the small school just outside Philadelphia. Apparently some of the original team even makes an appearance as nuns, cheering on the team at one of the games!

My only negative on this film is it the emphasis it places on being your own woman and not needing a man. Careers and your own dreams are important, but so many women do want to find a husband and start a family. I do understand that this movie taking place in the early 70s has something to do with that, and the real struggle women faced at that time. And in the end, Cathy and her husband learn to support each other, so I guess I can let that part go. There is also a scene where the coach gets the nuns to pass a note to a student during Mass, which I doubt any nun would actually do, but it is more to show the lack of understanding from Cathy, and it is kind of funny.

This little blog has been horribly neglected over the past year. I apologize for being so absent! But with the birth of our third baby, other writing opportunities, a small part-time job, a local tv appearance, and life in general being busy, something had to give! I just recently starting posting somewhat regular at my other blog, and my husband has encouraged me to give this one a little more attention now. So enough with the excuses, and let’s get right into it!

Lent 2015!

Giving up, taking up, what have you decided?! We do the usual giving up of “treats” (junk food, take out, baked goods etc) but also like to give up some thing a little more challenging and replace it with something better for our soul. This year my husband is giving up video games, and I am giving up my current guilty pleasure Gossip Girl. First lets say that I am horribly embarrassed to even admit on here that I have been binge watching it on Netflix for a while now. I am 31 years old, a mother of 3, and I am watching a show that is meant for high school girls. And frankly just the name of it is so sinful! I don’t gossip, yet here I am crazy for a tv show that is all about gossiping, and ruining he lives of the ones you love with gossip!

So, in our free time, usually in the evenings once the kids are asleep, when we would normally do these activities, we are going to watch Catholic movies. And not just historical depictions, but Hollywood ones that show Catholics in a positive light.

My husband is currently making a spread sheet with them all! Ones we own, ones we will get from the library, and ones we can find on Netflix!

So where does this blog fit in? What do you readers have to do with all of this? Well, I am hoping to share a little review and write-up about them all. Share our thoughts on how we feel the Catholics were portrayed, how historically accurate it was, and just if it was a good film. I hope this idea interests you, and that you will stick around for it! I would love to hear what you are doing this Lenten season! In addition to this, I am also hoping to get back into morning prayers, especially as a family. Mornings always seem so hectic and stressful, I am hoping if I can get my children to slow down even for a moment, and we can all pray together before leaving the house, the day will be off to a better start! It seems to settle everyone down at the end of the day, so why not start the day calmly as well!

…so how is it going? Have you forgotten what you gave up and did it/ate it by mistake yet? I’ve seen some tweets and posts about messing up after only a few days, and if that’s you, it’s ok! Don’t beat yourself up if you did, it’s not a total fail, just take a step back, pray, and start again fresh tomorrow!

I like to replace what I’m giving up with something. This year I have given up raising my voice/yelling at my kids. It’s forcing me to stay calm, be more patient, and not just jump to conclusions and yell as my first instinct. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to just stop doing something like that (did I mention how tired and emotional I am from being pregnant, and how much my kids love to whine and fight over just about everything?), every time I yell I have to say a Hail Mary. That forced me to calm right down, and remove myself from whatever the situation was that caused me to raise my voice. It’s been working like a charm! Day one I said 3 Hail Mary’s, and since then I have only had to say one or two here and there! My husband even complimented me last night how great I was doing, and how nice it was to not have me loosing my cool so much. It’s kind of embarrassing…but I know you won’t judge me right? And I would much rather focus on the great side of this; me being a more patient mother who is also a much better listener!

The other thing that we give up each and every Lent are the sweets and treats. And since Sunday’s don’t count, my husband stopped by Tim Horton’s on Sunday and picked up some Timbits for us all. They were delicious, especially after a week of no sweets! We also had brownies and ice cream for dessert that night…I was very tempted to like my plate, but I restrained myself. My son has also been really great with this one. I thought for sure he would be asking for a treat all the time, but he had no problem with the treats in the house being put away in our cold storage until Easter! He was also keeping his little sister in line at the grocery store today, announcing “no treats during Lent!” anytime her eyes strayed to a yummy chocolate snack.

I hope you aren’t stressing too much if you have fallen off your Lenten path. There is still plenty of time to get back to it and have a great turnout!

With Lent only a few days away, some of you may be scrambling to find family friendly meatless meals for Ash Wednesday and each Friday. My family goes meatless every Friday all year long, so I thought I would share some of our favourite options.

My go to Friday dinner is, of course, fish. Either batter/boxed from the frozen food section or just some vacuum packed salmon fillets. Usually served with brown rice and a vegetable. But when I am feeling more creative, here is what we enjoy:

– fish tacos (any light white fish, broken up in a fry pan, seasoned with salt and pepper, served with coleslaw and a mayo/lime/garlic sauce)

-stirfry (so easy to adjust to your families’ likes, using fish, shrimp, or even just veggies. make it even easier by using a jarred Asian style sauce, or this easy sweet and sour recipe, and serve over noodle or rice)

– veggie pizza (either homemade, frozen, or ordered in, this is always an easy option that everyone will love)

– loaded sweet potatoes (again with the Mexican theme, these potatoes are delicious and an unexpected way to use a sweet potato!)

– veggie chili (a take on a Racheal Ray recipe, this one fro my other blog is a family favourite for sure)

– Pasta (kids love pasta dishes, so this is great for the little ones that might be picker. Just about any pasta shape and sauce will do, try a favourite recipe, just without the meat, or this favourite one from my family)

These are just a few of our favourites for those meatless nights. I would love to hear some of your go to meatless meals, especially if you have picker eaters like my kids are sometimes.